Preparing for A Hurricane During A Pandemic

With hurricane season upon us, we must prepare differently as we navigate during the impacts of COVID-19. Here are some tips to stay safe during this difficult time.

Prepare for Hurricane Season

It is crucial for those who live in coastal sates to stay ahead of the hurricane season. Usually, preparations include securing your home, gathering supplies and food, watching storm warnings, and knowing evacuation routes and shelters. Learn more about Hurricane Preparedness on Discover.

COVID-19 presents some new challenges and you prepare for the storm. For example:

• Consider filling prescriptions much earlier than needed, as the pharmacy may take longer than usual. The Red Cross suggests having a 1-month supply for any medications.
• Proactively purchase any supplies, food and emergency kit items ahead of time, as they may sell out faster due to COVID-19.
• Have your emergency kit be pandemic-friendly. Include face covering, disinfectants and cleaning supplies, plus plenty of soap and hand sanitizers.
• In addition, have an evacuation kit containing 3-day’s worth of supplies if you must leave your home quickly. This evacuation kit should contain less items than your emergency kit, focusing on COVID-19 supplies: face coverings for each family members, soap and hand sanitizers, food, water, and personal hygiene items.
• If you do not know already, consider learning lifesaving skills, such as CPR and basic first aid skills.

If You Become Displaced

To stay safe during natural disasters, it is sometimes best to shelter in place. While some disasters may require you to go evacuate for safety. If you and your family need to evacuate, keep these tips in mind.

• Before evacuating, have a plan and location where you will stay. If your planning on staying with friends or relatives, make certain they have no symptoms of COVID-19. If they do have symptoms, make other arrangements such as staying in a hotel.
• Check community resources and with local officials for updated shelter information. Some shelters may not be open this year due to COVID-19.
• If you are staying in a shelter or public space, continue to practice social distancing and wear face coverings. Maintain at least 6-feet between you and others not in your household. This may be difficult in a shelter, but it is extremely crucial to abide by these rules to help stop the spread.
• As recommended by the CDC, always wash your hands for 20-seconds and avoid touching your face, nose, mouth and eyes.